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Brad Faust’s evening out for dinner ended with a jolt and a face full of airbag on Tuesday
night.

The Clintonville resident recently had seen deer in his yard, and he had passed them along busy
stretches of N. High Street.

The impact with his brand new Toyota Venza, however, was a first and left him shaken.

“There was no time to react at all,” said Faust, 51. “I glanced and saw something. But by the
time it hit, the airbags exploded and I couldn’t see anything. He was obviously going fast and
hard.”

A Worthington police officer shot and killed the six-point buck that struck another car after
hitting Faust’s. The incident was one of about 300 deer crashes in the county over the past year,
10 of which resulted in injuries, according to the Ohio Department of Public Safety.

Ohioans have a 1-in-118 chance of colliding with a deer in the next year, according to a study
released by State Farm Insurance. The state ranks 16th nationally. West Virginians lead the nation
with a 1-in-40 chance.

Both of Faust’s passenger-side doors were smashed in. Repairs will cost at least $5,000, he
said.

While he laughs now as he recalls being blindsided in an unlikely setting (in front of St.
Michael Catholic Church on High Street in Worthington), he added, “I can also see where it can be a
really dangerous situation.”

Mid-October is the beginning of mating season for deer, and bucks can be especially aggressive,
said Gary Ludwig, wildlife-management supervisor for the Ohio Division of Wildlife.

“They’re most active at a time of the day — dawn and dusk — when it’s most difficult for
motorists to see what’s going on,” he said.

The animals lack a human’s sense of danger when crossing roads, especially when focused on
does.

“They encounter roads and backyards every day. If they get used to (traffic), they just ignore
it.”

Ludwig, 53, has hit deer 12 times since he’s been driving, many along his 120-mile round-trip
commute from Ross County to Columbus.

“The best thing is to maintain control of your wheel and don’t swerve,” he said. He also sounds
his horn to scare the animals.

Cities also have a responsibility, he said, but may be unwilling to permit hunting near homes.
They often refer deer complaints to the state.Among the exceptions are Gahanna, Granville, New
Albany, Newark and Mount Vernon, which have bow-hunting or sharp-shooting programs.

While car crashes may thin herds, they are unnatural and undesirable, Ludwig said. “That’s the
dilemma. How do you reduce their numbers in acceptable ways?”

ODNR issues deer-damage permits, which allow property owners to thin populations on their own.
Metro Parks and many businesses also participate.

The problem with residential permits comes when “a neighbor may dislike the deer, but most of
the other neighbors are not having problems,” Ludwig said.